© TheRealDestinations 2017
There are attractions: monuments, viewpoints, something that can be captured in one Instagram photo. And then, there’s atmosphere.
Atmosphere is different. The unique feel of a place—the ambience of simply being there—that’s hard to distill into little boxes. Ireland, especially its wild, craggy western side, has atmosphere. And while it may all be in your head, it does ultimately shape how you feel about a place. It's a place you go to experience, not just to photograph. While the Lord of the Rings movies might have been shot in New Zealand because it checked off all the landscape boxes, the Irish countryside as far closer to the feel of Tolkien's novels. Not just wild, scenic nature, but a noticeable emptiness, and the small echos of the past etched into the landscape itself.
United MileagePlus: [Direct: United]
American AAdvantage: [Direct: American] Or connect via British Airways.
Delta SkyMiles [Direct: Delta] Or connect via Icelandair.
The Good:
The empty, western countryside has, regardless of the weather, some of the most unique and haunting landscapes you'll find anywhere. Green, windswept, fields merge with weathered gray stones of farmhouses abandoned since the potato famine. Picturesque villages sprinkled in. Mountains, hills, and the cold, stormy Atlantic below.
Dublin has a vibrant and conveniently packed nightlife packed into the streets in and around Temple Bar in the city center.
Direct, cheap flights to a host of destinations in Europe make Dublin a very convenient stopover for any trip to Europe.
The Bad:
Few noteworthy attractions to plan your trip around. You need to be able to open your eyes, and know where to explore.
The countryside in the Eastern half of the island is actually fairly ordinary, where trees grow easily just like back home on flat, gentle hills, and the countryside could be mistaken for any other corner of Europe.
Even outside of winter, it's going to rain a lot. The skies will be gray for the better part of the day, for most days. Matches well with the empty, green countryside out west, if you appreciate that kind of aesthetic.
the Summary:
Go West. Have fun in Dublin, rent a car, and drive. You'll cross the island in under 4 hours, but find accommodations out there to avoid the exhausting drive back. Get more time exploring the seaside twists of the Dingle Peninsula, or the windswept mountainous country roads of Connemara. Enjoy a pint of Guinness in a local pub and stay for the music. Settle in, and enjoy.
I've been to Ireland three times already, and yet…something still pulls me back. There's always another area I just didn't have time to explore, or a pub to check out. You find yourself slowing down, taking the place in, driving slowly down the twisting country roads in the remote west, where the highway narrows into a winding, narrow country road.
Before award travel changed everything, Dublin was once my go-to stopover. It would be hundreds of dollars cheaper to buy an inexpensive roundtrip to Dublin, then continue on via discount carriers any other corner of Europe. But times have changed. Award flights have made direct travel just as free as connections. More on that here.
But still, as international flights go, Dublin is quick, convenient direct flight from any East Coast hub airport. Which certainly makes it worth a stop to see this place for yourself.
Locals stop for a spot of tea on sunny morning by the islands off the Dingle Peninsula.
© YC 2017
Pro Tip: While normally quite expensive, a British Airways award on Aer Lingus to Shannon instead of Dublin airport saves the drive out from Dublin. Take a one-way car rental. Fly back from Dublin. Or do it the opposite way around.
Dublin is a modest sized city with a big-city sense of nightlife. It's just the Irish way. There's more to the city’s nightlife than Temple Bar, but it is an unmistakable center of it. The Guinness Brewery is a worthy tour that touches on the history and legacy of Ireland's most notable export. Trinity College has its share of ambience and sights to take in on a tour. While much of Dublin’s historical architecture was more on the drab…gray…side, a good walking tour should bring the history alive with a touch of insight and good helping of humor.
Rent a car and get driving. Head straight west on the highway and you'll reach the Cliffs of Moher in around 3-4 hours. Drive north to Connemara or south to Dingle. The winding narrow roads out there means that time to cover even modest distances will end up taking much longer than trips to/from Dublin.
When to Visit
Summer for the best chance of (some) sun. Fall and Spring are fine, you'll get rain and mist and sun all in the same day. I would avoid winter.
Language Barrier
Being once part of Great Britain, people here can obviously speak English.
Price Level
~10% cheaper than home.
Getting There
~$500 Roundtrip or 60K miles on Star Alliance or OneWorld carriers.
Looking for Hotel and Restaurant Recommendations?
Poor, rocky soil. Continuous wind, rain, and erosion. It all combines to form these vividly green fields mostly devoid of tree and bushes that would otherwise naturally take over any open spaces that aren't intensively maintained.
© YC 2017